Lift unfair Ebola travel restrictions on Kenya

The two Ebola deaths and at least eight confirmed cases are already presenting a big challenge for this country. The United States, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait have already imposed travel restrictions on Kenya.

Should this continue, the country risks being isolated despite its openness in dealing with this pandemic. It is, therefore, laudable that the government has petitioned Saudi Arabia to lift its travel ban over Ebola. The United States Department of State raised its travel advisory for Kenya from Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) to Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) to Level 3 (Reconsider Travel).

On October 30, Saudi Arabia halted visa issuance for Kenyans, banned its own citizens from travelling to Kenya, and restricted entry for travellers who had been in Kenya within 21 days.

More than 350 Kenyans seeking employment in Saudi Arabia have been forced to return home after being denied entry.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and other government officials have petitioned Saudi Arabia to lift the suspension it issued on Sunday. However, all these cases are directly linked to the first one, involving a Kenyan who travelled back home from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), quite ill, was admitted to hospital and died. To their credit, health authorities have stepped up surveillance at borders and airports, and no new infections have been recorded since October 19.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has repeatedly advised nations against imposing blanket travel or trade restrictions in response to Ebola outbreaks.

It says broad travel and border closures are less effective at stopping the virus than active measures such as medical screening, contact tracing, and monitoring. Punitive travel bans penalise countries for openly reporting cases, which can discourage transparent information sharing and harm global cooperation.

It is unfair to condemn a country such as Kenya, which has been making remarkable efforts to contain the disease through surveillance and border controls and effective contact tracing following the recent cases.

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